D’Tigers may be without some of their key players in the NBA at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, with the American basketball league likely to coincide with the global sports showpiece.
Al-Farouk Aminu (Orlando Magic), Josh Okogie (Minnesota Timberwolves), Chimezie Metu (San Antonio Spurs) and Gabe Vincent (Miami Heat), as well as draft prospect, Jordan Nwora, may miss out of D’Tigers roster for the Games.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver warned players hoping to represent their countries at the Games that it was “unlikely” the league would accommodate Tokyo 2020 by pausing their delayed 2021 season.
“I think it’s unlikely at the end of the day that if we start late that we would stop for the Olympics,” he said, according to Agence France-Presse.
“It’s not just a function of stopping just for the period that they would be competing over in Tokyo.
“They would require a training camp and they require rest afterwards.”
Basketball Australia has already expressed concern over the impact the NBA’s decision could have on its team in Tokyo next year.
The 2020 Olympics is scheduled to hold from July 23 to August 8, 2021.
